The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team is primed up for another great season. The talent is there. The expectations are there. Everything is in place for the No. 4 ranked team in the AP Poll to be there when the season comes to its end.
To add to the mix of point guard Caitlin Clark running things, ESPN has named senior guard Gabbie Marshall to their breakout season watch list for the 2022-23 season.
Iowa has the luxury of returning all five starters from the previous two seasons, a group headlined by Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano. So where does Marshall come in? Any pressure she can alleviate from Clark needing to produce from the backcourt would be helpful, and she could be a great recipient of Clark’s dimes off her paint penetration. Marshall has been a strong 3-point shooter since arriving to Iowa, but if she can get closer to her clip from her sophomore season (47.1% on 4.0 3-point attempts per game), then Iowa might really be cooking. For Iowa to advance to its first Final Four since 1993, though, the team will need to play better defense; Marshall can help spearhead that effort, as she has led the team in steals each of the last two seasons. – Alexa Philippou, ESPN.
Marshall appeared in 30 games last season and produced at a high level. In her career, she has tallied 135 three pointers, 158 assists, and 129 assists.
After touching on her team’s two biggest stars in Clark and forward Monika Czinano at Big Ten Media Days, Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder discussed what Marshall and the rest of the supporting cast brings to the Hawkeyes.
“Not only with those two women, but we have all the people around her. We have Gabbie Marshall, who is lethal from three-point range. We have Kate Martin, who I honestly believe can just contribute in so many areas. She’s a great captain, the glue to our team. We have McKenna Warnock at the power four position. Return all five starters from last year.
“We have some newcomers. I think Molly Davis is somebody that you’re really going to hear a lot about. Molly Davis transferred from Central Michigan. She has two years of eligibility left. She is going to give us depth at the point guard, which we did not have last year. We’re extremely excited to have Molly join our team,” Bluder said.
Iowa opens its season on Monday, Nov. 7 at 8:30 p.m. against Southern University on Big Ten Network Plus.
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